Why the website? When Release 9 was launched in 2009, the CTO at our university, Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, asked me to prepare a report of the differences between Vista 8 to Release 9. As I read the hundreds of pages from documents prepared by Blackboard about Release 9, I knew my report was going to be more than a one-pager. As I read the 400+ pages of the Instructor’s manual, I knew this document was not going to meet the needs of Marshall’s faculty. Today’s instructors want… Need…DEMAND “just in time” information. Asking anyone in today’s hectic academic environment to read such a manual is unrealistic. So, to meet the needs of the CTO and provide my faculty a resource that would more adequately meet their needs, the Comparison Chart was born.

I am proud to say it has been a hit! The chart became a resource not just for the faculty at Marshall but for colleagues who are CE and Vista users around the country. Blackboard even adopted my chart concept and that makes me very proud. In fact, I have just been asked by Blackboard to allow them to link my chart to their Upgrade Center! If you don’t know Blackboard’s Upgrade Center please go there…NOW. There you will find resources galore including documentation, webinars, quick video how-to demonstrations (my personal favorite), and tools to help with your plan to move to Release 9x.

So what is the future for the comparison chart? When I made the chart available for Release 9 I knew in the back of my mind it wouldn’t stop there. As Blackboard launches new versions (i.e. Release 9.1), an updated chart would be expected. Is this job security? Hardly, but it is a terrific way to learn all the new features in the latest release and provide strong support for my faculty.

Please join us for our session at BbWorld 2010 and take a look at the tools and functions and the direction Release 9.1 is taking us. We will review the chart and you are welcome to take it and use it to help you and the faculty.

We will strive to provide you a very informative session and provide value to your time with us.

See you at Bb World ’10 at the Gaylord Palms in Orlando, Florida. Looking forward to seeing you then!